Glossary - Baking Cookware

If you're into baking things like candy, fruit-based foods like preserves and brownies, (or you live outside of the US where they rightfully ditched the volumetric measuring system) you'll find that there's really nothing like a kitchen scale to measure your food as accurately as possible by weight, known as scaling. In fact, measuring solids by volume is a bad habit that our non-American friends never really got into. It all started when Fannie Farmer introduced a cookbook in 1896 called The Boston-Cooking School Cookbook that introduced the method of measuring everything by standardized measuring spoons and cups. This was a huge improvement at a time when recipes called for a sufficient amount of salt and a teacup of water.

To achieve flaky baked items like pie crusts, it's all about how you mix the fat into the flour. The best crusts are baked with saturated fats which are solid at room temperature such as Vegan Butter, margarine or coconut oil. The fats are mixed into the flour so the mixture resembles gravel. In order to achieve this mixture, the fat pieces are about the size of peas. This allows the fat and water based ingredients to be layered in a grain-like structure when the dough is rolled. During baking, heat causes the water to expand into steam resulting in a flaky crust. A pastry blender is an essential tool for how you achieve this optimum mix of Vegan Butter to flour.

Latest Comments

"I've made this a few times and have used pea milk instead (the guy who brought us Method cleaning products is now doing vegan mylk). I am trying to avoid soya, and found that using only coconut vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar really gives a mild taste (my stepdaughter, who is almost 9, found the apple cider vinegar version too vinegary). I too am trying to cut the salt, as I used to buy unsalted butter before, but overall, a fantastic butter/margarine alternative. Thanks for this! :)"

"Unfortunately sauteing with your butter recipe ends up in unwanted clumps due to xantham gum being fried at high temperatures. Perhaps you could use something that melts. You are right about the acidic taste. The vinegar flavor ruins the butter experience if you were to spread it on bread to be eaten directly. Lemon juice has the same effect. Moreover, I did try organic coconut oil which resulted in the best flavor. But, as I am sure everyone knows, organic oil is extremely expensive. It is also interesting to note that this butter for some reason will collect mold rather quickly if not used soon enough. Freezing only retards the mold growth. How long do you hold your butter before using? Have you tried other neutral tasting acids with..."

Latest Comments

"I've made this a few times and have used pea milk instead (the guy who brought us Method cleaning products is now doing vegan mylk). I am trying to avoid soya, and found that using only coconut vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar really gives a mild taste (my stepdaughter, who is almost 9, found the apple cider vinegar version too vinegary). I too am trying to cut the salt, as I used to buy unsalted butter before, but overall, a fantastic butter/margarine alternative. Thanks for this! :)"

"Unfortunately sauteing with your butter recipe ends up in unwanted clumps due to xantham gum being fried at high temperatures. Perhaps you could use something that melts. You are right about the acidic taste. The vinegar flavor ruins the butter experience if you were to spread it on bread to be eaten directly. Lemon juice has the same effect. Moreover, I did try organic coconut oil which resulted in the best flavor. But, as I am sure everyone knows, organic oil is extremely expensive. It is also interesting to note that this butter for some reason will collect mold rather quickly if not used soon enough. Freezing only retards the mold growth. How long do you hold your butter before using? Have you tried other neutral tasting acids with..."